


He's My Soulmate (a prequel)

by criesmom



Series: Wrong Number Universe [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Slow Build, Slow Burn, i didn't want to put them through it but i had to skjfhgs, i guess kfdjghs, it's a bittersweet ending i guess?, very very very light homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 11:00:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11713029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/criesmom/pseuds/criesmom
Summary: Wonwoo wasn’t entirely sure why he was chosen to look after the new student; not when other kids in his class had friends and were better at making them. Wonwoo, on the other hand, didn’t know how to talk to his own reflection and spent most lunch times in the corner of the library. But somehow, despite that, the teacher took one look at the new student and called on Wonwoo.ORThe one where Soonyoung and Wonwoo are childhood best friends that fall in love





	He's My Soulmate (a prequel)

**Author's Note:**

> When I was tagging this I accidentally put it down as soonseok bc I'm so used to writing them RIP  
> Yet another prequel to Wrong Number. You don't need to read it to know what's going on, but if you have read it then you know how this ends lol

 

> **Eleven**

 

Wonwoo wasn’t entirely sure why he was chosen to look after the new student; not when other kids in his class had friends and were better at making them. Wonwoo, on the other hand, didn’t know how to talk to his own reflection and spent most lunch times in the corner of the library. But somehow, despite that, the teacher took one look at the new student and called on Wonwoo.

Wonwoo pulled the sleeves of his school uniform jumper over his hands as the new kid made his way to the back of the class to sit next to him. Wonwoo looked intently at his desk and pushed his glasses up his nose. When the teacher started talking about something else, the new student whispered to him.

“I’m Soonyoung.”

Wonwoo smiled a little, one corner of his mouth tugging up. “I know,” he whispered back, “you were just introduced to the whole class.”

He couldn’t see Soonyoung’s smile, but he could hear it in his reply. “And you’re Wonwoo, right?”

“Yeah.” He thought for a moment, then looked at Soonyoung sideways. “I’m not really popular, so I won’t be able to introduce you to people. Sorry.”

Soonyoung nodded, ducking his head as the teacher looked in their direction. “That’s okay; I’m not really either.”

As Soonyoung sat up properly to listen, Wonwoo couldn’t help the smile that stretched across his face.

 

It turned out that Soonyoung and Wonwoo had a lot in common; Soonyoung was also a quiet boy who would rather read inside than run around on the school field. The two of them ended up claiming a spot in the corner of the library that no one ever dared take from them. Being in their last year of elementary school, they were perceived as “big kids”, and the younger kids more or less left them alone.

The library was an old classroom, and the shelves were packed so close together that the two small boys couldn’t stand next to each other across the aisles. Instead, they lay on their stomachs, the edges of their books pressed together as they read in silence.

After a few months, they started inviting each other over for dinner and play dates. Wonwoo lived in a house next to a forest, and they spent hours making up games based on their favourite TV shows. When school ended for the year and both of them had said goodbye to elementary, they cooled down in the small creek that ran through the trees. Wonwoo’s dad bought them small fishing rods that they used to catch eels.

Wonwoo’s parents told him often that they were glad he had found a friend. He supposed they’d been worried about him, but he never minded having no one to sit next to at lunch, or never having someone to invite over and play in the woods. He voiced this to Soonyoung one day, a few weeks before they were due to start at their new middle school.

Soonyoung thought for a moment, sticking out his bottom lip as he stared at the water and jerked his rod a bit. “Did you prefer it?”

Wonwoo had put his rod away and was lying on his back, looking up at the sun through the leaves above him. “What do you mean?”

Soonyoung shrugged, his bait sloshing in the water. “Did you like it better when I wasn’t around?”

This struck Wonwoo as an odd question. “No.”

Soonyoung looked at Wonwoo for a while, possibly waiting for more. Wonwoo didn’t think he needed to explain, so he closed his eyes and hoped Soonyoung got the message.

They caught their largest eel yet that afternoon – or rather, Soonyoung caught it. Wonwoo hit it over the head with a rock because Soonyoung was too squeamish and they ran with it in their arms back to Wonwoo’s mother, begging her to cook it for dinner. They soon discovered that eel didn’t actually taste very good, and crammed into Wonwoo’s bed that night with their stomachs rumbling.

 

 

> **Thirteen**

 

Soonyoung’s parents had gone out for the evening for dinner, leaving Soonyoung and Wonwoo in the house alone for a few hours. This was happening more and more often; after all, they were nearing high school. They usually spent these evenings watching cartoons or playing video games if they were at Soonyoung’s house. They had stopped trying to catch eels after the first summer, but Wonwoo knew the rods were still at the back of the garage.

On this particular night, they were watching a drama and making fun of the characters; Soonyoung with his legs in Wonwoo’s lap as they laughed until they cried. One of the main characters was waiting behind her work, smoking a cigarette and trying not to cry as she replayed the events of just minutes ago in her head, sending the two boys into hysterics.

Soonyoung grabbed a pen off the coffee table, holding it to his lips and pretending to take a drag. He placed a dramatic hand on his chest. “I just can’t remember being fired, it happened so long ago!” he held his arm out, sweeping it in front of him as if tracing a horizon. “Two minutes feels like twenty years, and my memory fails me.”

Wonwoo hiccupped through his giggles as the love interest on screen burst through the back door, making the main character jump to look at him. Soonyoung focused his eyes on Wonwoo, feigning being startled.

“Oh, Wonwoo,” he cried, touching his hand to his lips. “You came back for me!”

Wonwoo struggled to speak without laughing as Soonyoung sat up and grabbed his face. “My shift just ended, I didn’t know you were out here.”

“No, Wonwoo,” Soonyoung insisted, and started peppering kisses all over Wonwoo’s face as the characters on screen locked lips. “You came back for me!”

Soonyoung threw the pen across the room dramatically so he could grip Wonwoo’s face tighter, the two of them so close that their noses were mushed together. Wonwoo was still laughing as Soonyoung fake cried.

“The truth is, Soonyoung,” Wonwoo started, and Soonyoung gasped dramatically, “I’ve always loved you, from the moment I saw you,” Soonyoung giggled as Wonwoo wrapped his arms around him, “I loved you since that day, Kwon Soonyoung.”

“Oh, Jeon Wonwoo,” Soonyoung exaggerated how breathy his voice was, “kiss me you fool!”

Wonwoo wasn’t sure who kissed who, but he did know that one second he was laughing harder than he ever had, and the next his mouth was pressed against Soonyoung’s. There was no heat or movement to the kiss – they were too young to really know what kissing meant at all. Wonwoo just held Soonyoung in his lap as Soonyoung gripped the sides of Wonwoo’s face and they pressed their mouths together for a few minutes. Wonwoo was holding his breath and scrunching his eyes closed, not knowing what to do but not wanting to stop. Eventually, Soonyoung pulled back with a deep, gasping inhale. Wonwoo opened his eyes slowly, breathing just as heavily.

They stared each other down for a moment, hands still on each other as they processed what they’d just done. Soonyoung was the first to move, sliding backwards to the other end of the couch and holding his knees to his chest.

“Boys aren’t supposed to kiss,” he said in a very small voice.

Wonwoo picked at a loose thread in his shorts. “No.”

Soonyoung rested his forehead on his knees, his face hidden from Wonwoo’s view. “I’m sorry for ruining it.”

Wonwoo looked over to him. “Ruining what?”

Soonyoung shivered through a breath. “You hate me now.”

Wonwoo frowned. “I don’t hate you. It was only a kiss.”

When Soonyoung lifted his head, his eyes were red. “But boys aren’t supposed to kiss.”

“Says who?” Wonwoo was starting to get angry, though he didn’t know what he was angry about.

“Says everyone,” Soonyoung said helplessly, tears welling in his eyes. “Boys aren’t supposed to kiss other boys.”

Wonwoo went back to the thread, scowling heavily at it. “Then why does it feel nice?”

There was a silence, broken only by Soonyoung sniffing heavily. When he didn’t get a reply, Wonwoo looked up at Soonyoung.

“If boys aren’t supposed to kiss then why did it feel nice, Soonyoung?”

Soonyoung shrugged. “I don’t know. Did it feel nice?”

Suddenly, Wonwoo didn’t feel so good about the situation. “I liked it.”

Soonyoung sniffed again and nodded. “So did I.”

Wonwoo smiled before getting up to find some tissues, when he came back Soonyoung had stopped crying, though his eyes were still red. They didn’t talk about it any further, but they sat closer together and with their pinkies linked on the couch between them.

 

 

> **Fourteen**

Neither of them were any good at making new friends, and this carried over into high school with them. They made a few here and there, but everyone knew that Soonyoung and Wonwoo were inseparable.

Truth be told, Wonwoo liked it better that way; with no one trying to pry into their relationship or take up their time on the weekends. Wonwoo was happy to just be the two of them, no questions and no distractions.

Other boys at school used to joke about them dating, to which they would leap into each other’s arms and rub their cheeks together, making everyone laugh. It worked well enough, but their hearts thumped in their chests each time someone suggested it.

They reserved their relationship for nights they spent at each other’s houses, whispering and giggling and pecking each other on the lips. Other times, they would go out to the trees by Wonwoo’s house and pitch a small tent, somehow squeezing into one sleeping bag and kissing each other for longer. Wonwoo always felt safer when they did this; like the world outside couldn’t see them and they weren’t in danger of being found. He thought Soonyoung must feel the same way, because he was always more honest when they were in the woods.

One night in the tent, after they positioned themselves inside a sleeping bag, Soonyoung spoke into Wonwoo’s chest.

“You ever think about love?”

Wonwoo shrugged. “What about it?”

“Like,” Soonyoung lifted his head to rest it on Wonwoo’s shoulder, “about if we’ll ever be in love.”

Wonwoo frowned, his heart speeding up in his chest. “I kinda thought we already were.”

Soonyoung froze, then sat up and felt around for a torch. Once it was on, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at Wonwoo.

“Is that your confession?”

Wonwoo found it very hard to look him in the eye. He shrugged again. “I guess so.”

Soonyoung scoffed above him. “What a romantic.”

Wonwoo felt his face, chest, ears and neck all burning. “What, I love you, okay?”

Soonyoung giggled, burying his face in Wonwoo’s neck. “I love you, too.” His breath was warm on Wonwoo’s skin.

Wonwoo pried a hand out of the sleeping bag to ruffle Soonyoung’s hair. “I’m glad we’re in love. Can you please turn the light off?”

 

 

> **Sixteen**

Soonyoung and Wonwoo stared at Minkyung in shock as she shifted from one foot to the other in front of them. After a while, she sighed.

“Look it’s embarrassing enough I have to ask you in front of your best friend, the least you could do is –”

“I’m gay,” Soonyoung blurted out, making both Wonwoo and Minkyung snap their heads to look at him. He seemed to regret saying it almost immediately as he scrambled to take it back. “I mean, shit, you can’t tell anyone.”

Minkyung shook her head. “I wouldn’t. Uh, forget I asked.” She spared Wonwoo a glance before turning on her heel and strutting away from them.

That afternoon, they went out into the forest. Soonyoung was crying with a combination of guilt and fear, gripping his hair so hard Wonwoo was expecting it to come out in clumps.

“What did I do?” He said for the nth time. “Shit, I should’ve just said yes.”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, having finally had enough. He walked up to Soonyoung on the uneven soil and wrapped his arms around him.

“That would’ve been worse, and you know it.”

Soonyoung gripped the front of Wonwoo’s shirt as he wept into it. “I just feel so awful.”

Wonwoo carded his fingers through Soonyoung’s hair. “It’s not your fault, though. And we’ll be okay, she’s not going to tell anyone.”

They spent the better part of the afternoon there, Wonwoo trying his best to comfort a distressed Soonyoung until it was too dark to see anything. They used the torches on their phones to find their way back to Wonwoo’s house, and Soonyoung ended up spending the night there.

The next day at lunch, Minkyung found them in the library. Soonyoung ducked his head as she sat at their table, instantly looking like he was ready to cry.

“I’m not going to tell anyone, I want you guys to know that,” she started, checking around them to make sure no one could hear. “And I’m not upset with you, Soonyoung, so don’t even think about crying right now.”

Wonwoo laughed as Soonyoung bit his bottom lip to stop it from trembling. Minkyung sighed.

“I only asked because I think you’re cute, not because I actually have feelings for you or whatever.”

Wonwoo slid his foot forward under the table until the toe of his shoe was touching Soonyoung’s. Soonyoung nodded at Minkyung.

“I guess that’s okay then.”

Minkyung rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe _I_ got rejected but _I_ have to comfort _you_.”

Wonwoo laughed, liking Minkyung more and more. “He’s very sensitive.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

 

Minkyung ended up making friends with both of them, and it felt nice to actually tell someone, much to Wonwoo’s surprise. She was funny and quick witted and Wonwoo found himself comfortable with her. She liked most of the same TV shows as them, and got into video games after they forced her to try them a couple times. After a few months Wonwoo forgot a time that he wasn’t friends with her.

One day they were in the basement of Wonwoo’s house watching reruns of an old cartoon. Minkyung was curled up on one end of the couch, with Soonyoung’s feet in her lap as his head rested in Wonwoo’s on the opposite end. Soonyoung had a hand on Wonwoo’s thigh as he carded his fingers through Soonyoung’s hair.

“Hey, I never actually asked, are you guys boyfriends?”

Wonwoo’s hand stilled in Soonyoung’s hair and they looked at each other. Soonyoung frowned up at Wonwoo.

“Are we?”

Wonwoo frowned back. “I mean I guess so.”

Minkyung laughed at them, but it wasn’t unkind. “Do you guys not know that you’re in love?”

Wonwoo looked up at her. “We’ve been in love since we were fourteen, you’re not ahead of us on this.”

Soonyoung reached up and tapped Wonwoo’s nose. “Eleven.”

“What?”

“We were eleven when we fell in love. Or at least I fell in love when we were eleven.”

Wonwoo thought about it. “What, did it only take you a few months?”

Soonyoung shook his head, smiling dreamily. “Love at first sight.”

Wonwoo looked down at the boy in his lap – the boy he was in love with and who loved him, who he spent nearly all his time with, who was the first friend he ever made, who he would die for and with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. He couldn’t see any possible outcome of his life where he wasn’t in love with the boy smiling up at him, couldn’t think of any alternate universe where he wasn’t in love with Soonyoung. If he was given the chance to do his life over, he would love Soonyoung every time.

He smoothed Soonyoung’s hair back from his forehead. “I think it was for me, too.”

From the other end of the couch, Minkyung faked gagging. “You guys are so in love, it’s disgusting.” She was smiling at them though. “So are you or are you not boyfriends?”

Wonwoo shrugged with nonchalance. “Never asked. Soonyoung?”

“Mm?”

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

Soonyoung laughed a sound like bells. “Okay.”

 

 

> **Eighteen**

Minkyung had decided to go to a different university in a different city, which made Wonwoo sad. He had come to consider her his best friend, (after Soonyoung of course), and knew he would miss her a lot after the three of them parted ways.

He and Soonyoung were going to the same university in Seoul, and had found an affordable one room apartment for them to move into together. Of course, they told their parents it was two bedrooms to avoid any questions.

After Minkyung had left and two weeks before they were due to move out, they pitched a tent in the forest for the first time in years. The air between them was different, but not in a bad way. It was in a way that made Wonwoo conscious about how loudly he swallowed and about how close Soonyoung was sitting to him. There was a tension between them that set Wonwoo’s skin alight.

It wasn’t as if either of them was completely innocent anymore. There had been the first hand job when they were fifteen; hurried and awkward as Soonyoung bit down hard on his own wrist. There were the times they’d rutted against each other fully clothed in whoever’s bed, kissing each other hard to keep quiet. And of course the few blowjobs in more recent times, as they gained both confidence and experience. But something about that night had Wonwoo more nervous than he had ever been in Soonyoung’s company.

Soonyoung broke him out of his thoughts when he rested his head on Wonwoo’s shoulder and sighed.

“Do you feel it too?”

Wonwoo was thankful, for the millionth time, that Soonyoung was also his best friend.

“Yeah.”

Soonyoung sat up and reached for the bowl of water, throwing it onto the fire to put it out. He stood up and held out a hand to Wonwoo, who took it and allowed himself to be led into the tent.

If it had been with anyone else, Wonwoo would’ve been embarrassed to the point he couldn’t do anything. It was awkward and clumsy as they fumbled around with shaking hands. Wonwoo realised halfway through preparing Soonyoung that he had no idea what he was doing. But it was Soonyoung, and so long as it was Soonyoung, Wonwoo figured he’d be okay. That, added with the effect everything had on Soonyoung, spurred him on and kept him going until he was finally sinking in, hands framing Soonyoung’s face on the mattress. He let his forehead rest against Soonyoung’s as they panted together.

When he lifted his head, Soonyoung’s fringe was plastered to his forehead with sweat, his cheeks were flushed and his mouth hung open as he breathed heavily. Wonwoo smiled down at him, holding one hand to his cheek. Soonyoung leant into the touch, eyes fluttering shut.

“You’re so beautiful and I love you so much.”

Soonyoung opened his eyes to look up at Wonwoo. “I love you too.”

 

Afterwards, Wonwoo didn’t know what to do with the condom so he buried it at the foot of a tree, making Soonyoung howl with laughter when he got back in the tent. They were too big to fit into one sleeping bag, so they had brought the duvet from Wonwoo’s bed and snuggled close together, Soonyoung taking the position of big spoon. He pressed a kiss to Wonwoo’s shoulder blade and Wonwoo smiled into the darkness.

“I’m glad we did this.”

Wonwoo scoffed. “What; fuck in the forest.”

Soonyoung head butted him softly, then kissing the top of his spine. “Yeah, that. Also just, all of this. Everything, you know?” He laughed a little. “I’m glad we watched that dumb drama when we were thirteen.”

Wonwoo hummed in agreement. “I’m glad the teacher chose me to show you around.”

“I love you, Wonwoo.”

“I love you, too.”

 

 

> **Nineteen**

Wonwoo was of course late to his first class. Soonyoung had been particularly clingy that morning and getting out of bed proved to be the most difficult task Wonwoo had even been put through. When he got to the lecture hall, there was only one seat free, right up the back and next to an angular looking boy with eyelashes that made him look like he was wearing mascara. Wonwoo took the seat, nodding to the boy next to him as another boy the other side of him leant forward.

“Hey,” the second boy whispered, and Wonwoo looked at him. His features were smaller and more fragile, making him look like an adult cherub. “Are you single?”

Wonwoo spluttered a little as the boy sitting between them rolled his eyes. “God’s sake, Jeonghan, can’t you keep it in your pants for two minutes?”

The second boy, Jeonghan, smiled wide. “It’s just a question, no harm in that.”

“He’s probably straight, anyway.”

Jeonghan was about to fight back when Wonwoo answered.

“I’m not.” The two of them looked at him, Jeonghan still looking ready to argue. “Single or straight.”

They both took a moment to process this. Jeonghan frowned and sat back in his seat with a huff while the other boy smiled almost triumphantly and held his hand out to Wonwoo.

“I’m Junhui, this is Jeonghan. He’s a massive slut.”

Wonwoo took Junhui’s hand hesitantly. “Wonwoo.”

Jeonghan leant forward in his seat again. “Can you guys be quiet, I’m trying to listen.”

Junhui gave a roll of his eyes that suggested Wonwoo shouldn’t take it personally, so he didn’t and instead focused on the lecturer.

 

Wonwoo and Soonyoung collected friends until eventually the two of them were part of a seven person circle. Wonwoo brought in Junhui and Jeonghan, Soonyoung met Jihoon in one of his dance classes, who was dating a boy called Seungcheol. Somewhere down the line they all met Joshua at a party and he ended up trailing along with them back to Junhui’s house – the only one of them who owned a house near campus – and never really left again.

Living away from his parents and sharing a bed with Soonyoung was more than Wonwoo had ever hoped it to be. He didn’t have to worry about anyone walking in on them, or about waking up with Soonyoung in his arms. He loved how domestic they had become – sharing the bathroom, making dinner together, watching TV until they started to fall asleep, only to fall into bed together. They formed routines and habits around each other, sharing clothes and spaces and food and bodies. Wonwoo had never been happier in his entire life, and he wanted to sing it from the rooftops.

Wonwoo got especially close with Junhui, who shared his sense of humour and most of his classes. The two often gravitated to each other at parties, and Wonwoo almost always found himself keeping Junhui company as he smoked. They talked about a lot of things, but almost always came back to the topic of Soonyoung and Wonwoo.

At one party, when Soonyoung stayed home to catch up on rest, Wonwoo lent up against the wall next to Junhui as he dragged on his cigarette, then offering it to Wonwoo who declined.

“Soonyoung would skin me alive.”

Junhui laughed. “You guys are probably the strongest couple I know. You should get married or something.”

“I’m sure we will, one day.”

Junhui took another drag. “Have you thought about it?”

Wonwoo shrugged. “I guess so. It’s hard not to when you’ve dated someone for six years.”

Junhui choked on the smoke, looking at Wonwoo with wide eyes. “Six _years_? You’ve been dating since you were what, like, thirteen?”

Wonwoo patted him on the back. “Yeah. Been in love for longer than that, though.”

“How can anyone be in love that young?”

Wonwoo smiled to no one in particular. “It was love at first sight, Jun. Way back when we were eleven we fell in love.” He shook his head. “I know it sounds dumb, but it’s how I feel. He’s my soulmate.”

Junhui’s face softened. “You know, I don’t believe in all that, but you two make me want to.”

 

 

> **Twenty**

Minkyung was home for summer, as well as Soonyoung and Wonwoo. They had only agreed to rent the apartment for a year, so they packed their things and moved back in with their parents, deciding to go house hunting closer to the start of second year. Wonwoo spent more time with both of them than just Soonyoung, which seemed off, but he just brushed it off as not having seen her for a while. Minkyung seemed to notice that something was wrong, as she took Wonwoo aside one day as they left Soonyoung’s house.

She was looking down at her feet, kicking stones of gravel as she came across them.

“Something’s up with you guys.”

Wonwoo feigned ignorance. “What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know, there just is.” She kicked a pebble and it skidded into the gutter. “Did something happen?”

“Not that I can think of. You might be thinking about it too much, Kyung.”

Minkyung looked up at him then, and the look she gave him for just a moment broke his heart all on its own. She quickly smiled, linking an arm with his.

“That’s good then, I’d hate to have to pick a side.”

 

They saw Minkyung off at the train station with tears in their eyes. They still had two weeks before they had to be back at university, so the hunt for a new apartment began.

They considered renting the same place, but found it was already taken. After the first week, the only place they could find that they could also afford had two bedrooms instead of one. To Wonwoo’s surprise, he found he didn’t mind this too much, and even saw it as a good thing. He pushed the thought aside as they decided they had no choice and settled on the two bedrooms, calling the landlady to finalise their decision.

Soonyoung’s parents went away for the last week before they had to move again, so Wonwoo spent most of his time at Soonyoung’s house under the guise of helping him pack. They fell into many of the same routines from their apartment, spare making time for classes. They packed together and cooked together and watched TV together. Having sex in Soonyoung’s childhood bedroom seemed wrong somehow, even though it was where Wonwoo gave Soonyoung an orgasm for the first time.

When they moved into the new place, they both instantly took a liking to their landlady. The first night they were there, she invited them downstairs for dinner and gave them a jar of kimchi from her fridge.

They put their clothes and other immediate essentials in one bedroom, leaving the one by the kitchen as a sort of storage room for their books and extra furniture they couldn’t find a place for. When classes started up again, Wonwoo found himself thinking about his conversation with Minkyung more often.

It was two months before he admitted anything being off. He was sitting in someone’s lawn with Junhui, who was flicking ash off his cigarette more than he was smoking. Wonwoo looked over his shoulder back at the party, seeing Soonyoung dancing and laughing with Jihoon and Seungcheol. He let out a sigh and Junhui held out the cigarette, purely out of politeness.

When Wonwoo actually took the cigarette and subsequently a long drag, Junhui stared at him slack jawed. Wonwoo handed it back and Junhui stubbed it out in the grass.

“Everything okay?” Junhui asked, glancing over his shoulder.

“I think something’s wrong with me and Soonyoung.”

Junhui looked at him, but Wonwoo couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact.

“Did you guys have a fight?”

Wonwoo shook his head. “No, nothing like that. Something’s just off.” He thought for a moment. “I keep wanting to sleep in the spare room. Like being next to him all day every day is too,” he gestured aimlessly for a moment, “suffocating, or something. I don’t know.”

“Maybe it’s just a temporary thing?”

“It started when we went back home. Our friend Minkyung pointed it out while we were there and I tried to ignore it but I don’t know. Something’s just not right.”

Junhui nodded. “Sounds like something you might want to talk to him about, not me. Of course, I’m always happy to listen, but there’s only so much I can do.”

Wonwoo heaved a sigh, leaning over to rest his head on Junhui’s shoulder. “Thanks man.”

Junhui draped an arm around his shoulders. “Anytime. For what it’s worth, I hope everything ends up okay with you guys. I can’t imagine you guys being apart.”

 

When they finally got home, Soonyoung made quick work of stripping them both of their shirts and pushing Wonwoo down on the bed. He clambered on top of him, straddling Wonwoo’s hips as they made out lazily. Wonwoo ran his hands up and down Soonyoung’s sides, ready to flip them over and get the lube when Soonyoung detached his lips. He swung a leg over Wonwoo’s waist and lay down next to him, settling into Wonwoo’s side and nuzzling his face on Wonwoo’s chest. Wonwoo put an arm out to help cradle Soonyoung’s head, tracing shapes lightly on Soonyoung’s hip as he sighed.

Soonyoung placed a hand on Wonwoo’s sternum. “We’re not in love anymore, are we?”

Soonyoung would always be Wonwoo’s best friend before his boyfriend, and it showed in moments like this.

“I don’t think we are.”

Soonyoung nodded against Wonwoo’s chest, then held his breath for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was ragged.

“I’m sorry.”

Wonwoo sat up, collecting Soonyoung in his lap and circling his arms around him as he cried.

“Sh, Soonyoung, it’s okay, it’s not your fault, it’s okay.” He repeated this while rocking Soonyoung as he sobbed into Wonwoo’s collar bone.

When he finally calmed down, Soonyoung lifted his head, eyes horribly bloodshot and tears soaking his face. Despite himself, Wonwoo smiled fondly; he’d always been a messy crier. He swiped a thumb at Soonyoung’s cheeks, feeling himself close to tears.

“We were supposed to get married,” Soonyoung sighed out, voice tired.

“I know, baby.” Wonwoo kissed Soonyoung, just for a moment and out of habit, but Soonyoung didn’t protest.

Soonyoung scrunched his eyes up, dislodging more tears. “I don’t want to lose you, Wonwoo.”

And finally, it was too much for Wonwoo. His tears came freely as his heart was torn from his chest. His boyfriend, his _best_ friend was broken in his arms, crying for something they’d had and lost again. He wanted so badly to be in love with him, to plaster a smile on his own face and tell Soonyoung he was being silly, that of course they were still in love and of course they were going to get married. But he knew that it wasn’t the case, that there was nothing he could do to salvage things.

He hugged Soonyoung closer to him again. “You’re not going to lose me, I still love you, Soonyoung, I just –”

“We’re not _in_ love.”

“Yeah. Maybe that’s worse.”

“Anything’s better than this.”

Wonwoo let out a wet laugh, resting his head atop Soonyoung’s as he cradled it in his hands. “I wish it didn’t turn out like this. I wish we could stay in love and get married and have kids together,” his voice started to falter, “and grow old together on a farm or something.”

Soonyoung lifted his head again and wrapped his arms around Wonwoo’s neck, giving him silent pecks as Wonwoo started to wail. They collapsed back onto the bed, both tangled with each other, mopping at one another’s cheeks. They kissed and kissed and kissed until they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

 

The next day, Wonwoo moved his things into the spare room.

They decided not to live separately, because both of them knew they couldn’t live without each other. Their relationship didn’t really change at all – they just stopped having sex and making out. They still made the same jokes, shared clothes and the bathroom, held hands and cuddled; it just didn’t hold the same meaning as it used to. They still said _I love you_ and they still talked to each other about everything. Overall it was as clean a break as any could possibly be, and after a couple of weeks all sadness around the situation was gone completely.

Junhui was the first to find out, of course, as he and Wonwoo stood behind a lecture hall and Junhui opened up his packet of cigarettes. Wonwoo watched the motions carefully.

“Soonyoung and I broke up.”

Junhui coughed heavily, handing a cigarette to Wonwoo who took a drag.

“What happened?”

Wonwoo handed the cigarette back. “We got home after the party and he just said ‘we’re not in love anymore’ and I said ‘no we’re not’ and we cried for a while and that was it.”

Junhui gave him a look. “That was it?” he repeated, and Wonwoo nodded. “You seem awfully chipper for someone who just ended a seven year relationship.”

Wonwoo shrugged. “There’s no hard feelings.”

“So who’s moving out of the flat?”

Wonwoo laughed. “Neither of us, I’m just in the spare room now.”

“You’re going to keep living together?” Junhui looked incredulous.

“Yeah, I mean, I still think we’re soulmates. Just not romantically anymore.” He looked down as he scuffed his shoe on the concrete. “I can’t imagine not living with him at this point.”

Junhui nodded. “I don’t think anyone else can imagine it, either.” He reached out a hand and squeezed Wonwoo’s shoulder. “You probably made the right choice, though. And I’m here if you need anything.”

Wonwoo nodded his thanks, fishing his phone out of his pocket as it buzzed. It was Soonyoung, asking him to pick up some chicken on his way home. He smiled at his phone, something warm creeping around his heart and settling there. It wasn’t the same feeling as when he was still in love with his best friend, but it was just as comforting.

**Author's Note:**

> LISTEN A BITCH DOESN'T LIKE ANGST BUT IT HAD TO END LIKE THIS I'M SORRY!!  
> If you haven't already read Wrong Number and want to know what happens next, please do check it out !! There's a decent amount of best friends soonwoo in there and I'm very very proud of it :') also feel free to yell at me for this angst you have every right to and I deserve it


End file.
